


Soot

by silver_drip



Series: Tony Learns Magic! [1]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arc Reactor, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-03
Updated: 2015-09-03
Packaged: 2018-04-18 18:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4716791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Tony's relationship with Pepper ends he loses all interest in technology. Instead he turns his attention to magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JayBarou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayBarou/gifts).



> Hope things get better!

 

* * *

 

Tony felt… hollow.

After Pepper left, he knew he still had Rhodey and Happy, sort of. Pepper and Happy were together now. He couldn’t begrudge them for that. Some part of him had actually seen it coming. It had started when Pepper was just his PA. Happy had always given her that look, the look a man gave a woman that he thought she was out of his league. Then that look eased when Tony began dating her. Tony respected that. Happy put their friendship before his little crush.

Then Tony’s relationship disintegrated after the Extremis incident.

Tony cured her, but before they could discuss it or remove his arc reactor another villain emerged and despite not having his suits he had to take action, action that lasted three weeks.

During that time Happy had been in the same hospital as her, spending time together.

Three weeks and they both fell in love.

Happy was the one to come to him once the conflict was over and Tony actually had time. He was rambling on and on about how sorry he was and that Pepper didn’t cheat on him, that they both respected him too much for that. Tony didn’t get it until Pepper appeared minutes later, annoyed that Happy had gone ahead without her.

She explained it in simple terms, how she didn’t know she’d wanted normalcy until Happy had started talking about his day to day life, how she still loved Tony, but knew if she stayed with him that love would only fade as the fear for his life grew, how she was so sorry that she was hurting him, and this way he could find someone who was better for him.

Throughout the whole thing Tony had been unmoving and completely silent.

There was a long pause until Tony finally nodded and stood. He gave them his blessing and a smile. He could see the concern in both their eyes, but he quickly ushered them out before they could say anything else.

After that he just sat down and… did nothing.

He’d already processed the whole situation mentally and decided not to be sad about it. Two of the people he cared about were in love. That was good, even if it meant that what he had with Pepper came to an end.

Despite his rationalizing the whole thing it still hurt. Instead of drinking or delving into his lab Tony grabbed a few boxes from the lower part of the tower before going to their—his room and began packing Pepper’s things meticulously. He didn’t let his eyes linger on one thing for long. He felt fabric between his fingers, cold jewelry, smooth shoes, oddly shaped makeup containers…

Tony held his breath when he packed away all of her perfumes, not wanting their familiar scents to trigger any memories.

It only took him an hour, far less time than he’d expected.

He put them in the service elevator and told Jarvis to send them to her new address.

Tony sat down again, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Rhodey was on the other side of the country.

The Avengers were scattered about. Steve was preoccupied with finding Bucky. Clint and Natasha went underground after SHIELD fell. Bruce was overseas trying to make up for sins that Tony didn’t even think he was guilty of.

All his bots were gone, buried at the bottom of the ocean. He had a crew working on recovering them, but he doubted they’d ever be found.

Now it was just him and Jarvis.

Weeks went by. Tony signed all the papers that were shipped up to him, keeping himself clean, eating when it was necessary. He didn’t feel like making new suits or anything for Stark Industries. It was just… so—so much like his old life with Pepper.

He didn’t want to blame her for losing the only constant in his life, his passion for technology, but some part of him did. He pushed it down.

Eventually Jarvis prompted him to get off his ass.

He was surprised by how weak he felt. Tony went to his room and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked the same, but felt less healthy.

Tony sighed and went down the gym. Without working in his lab some of his muscles had weakened. He wasn’t worried about his image. What was the point of that? He had no plans of leaving the tower anytime soon, but something about being weak went completely against who he was. After Afghanistan… he never wanted to be defenseless again.

He worked out until exhaustion, until all he could do was pant while laying on the ground and staring at the high ceiling.

Tony didn’t want to be the tech guy anymore, but that was the only life he knew. He’d built his first circuit board at four and there’d been nothing but technology, parties, Iron Man, and Pepper since then.

He raised his hand up, reaching for the lights that were too far away to be touched.

What else was there?

Stark Industries was a well-oiled machine and there were plenty of scientists working there to keep the innovations coming. They didn’t need him for anything other than his signature. Besides, he’d always hated the business world.

He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side. He could still see the afterimage of the lights behind his lids. He squeezed his eyes tighter and started seeing a swirl of colors behind his lids. One of the colors was a distinct green and inspiration struck him.

Tony wanted to do something that was so outside of his usual that his mind would once more enrapture his mind.

He sat up while smiling.

“Jarvis, what’s the closest empty lab?”

“Floor thirty-nine. Would you like me to send your equipment there?”

“It has the standard holographic capabilities and computers, right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then that’s all I need.” Tony pushed himself off the ground, suddenly feeling reinvigorated. “Jarvis, start pulling up data on every time Loki used magic, data on Lorelei’s visit, the Bifrost, and Dr. Strange. I want everything.”

“Right away.”

Dr. Strange had gone through some weird occult thing.

Loki and Lorelei came from a world where it was apparently natural.

He had very little actual readings on the Bifrost.

Holograms were already lighting up the large room, readings unlike he’d ever seen before. It wasn’t long until his mind was engulfed with new information and ideas.

* * *

Magic was unlike anything he’d studied before. It wasn’t a particular form of energy. All four of the examples he had found used different types of energy. They just… manipulated it somehow.

He was in bed, staring at the ceiling as usual. His fingers were tapping a beat against his arc reactor. He enjoyed how the light played in the darkness. He knew it was an energy source. _His_ energy source, but he needed to be able to feel it if he was to manipulate it.

Would he even know if he was feeling it? It had been a part of him for so long and when he first implanted it he’d been in too much pain and turmoil to notice any sort of change in energy.

When he change his arc reactor’s core… the only thing he’d really noticed was a change in taste.

Taste was a sense…

He concentrated on the coconut taste. He’d become so used to it that he didn’t even notice it anymore.

* * *

Now that he was aware of the taste he took it into consideration in his everyday life.

It was the dullest when he was mentally fatigued, sharp when he was working out, and almost balanced during his everyday life.

He started working out more, trying to map out where that taste came from. There was no scientific explanation for it. The new element wasn’t leaking into his bloodstream. That meant there had to be more to it.

Eventually he realized there was more than just the taste, there was also a feeling, almost effervescent, a tickle that only grew the more he concentrated. It seemed to concentrate in his throat and voice box.

Tony eased up on his work outs and researched every noise the majority of humans could make. He tested them out and was thrilled when certain sounds made the taste in his mouth intensify as well as the feeling strengthen.

He had Jarvis list them all. Tony had his reactor closely monitored as he went through the listed sounds. He was pleased to see the slight spikes of energy.

Tony felt silly, but he hired a voice coach.

Months went by. He kept working out and his voice lessons up.

When Rhodey visited he could tell that Tony had a new big project, but was keeping it under wraps. Rhodey was used to his best friend’s antics and just laughed it off as they reminisced over old times.

The Avengers called on him more than once, but he turned them down, confident that they could handle it. He was still funding them and had gotten past his disinterest with technology, sending them upgrades when he felt like it.

They visited him randomly.

They took note of his improved physique. It wasn’t a big change, but most of them were trained to notice even the smallest of changes.

Steve was the only one who was really bent out of shape about his absence from the Avengers. When he’d cornered him Steve told him how essential he was to the team and that missions didn’t go as smoothly as they used to.

He just told him he’d come back eventually.

* * *

The cleanup of his Malibu house came to an end. All three of his bots had been destroyed completely. It hurt more than when he lost Pepper.

* * *

He could feel the energy throughout him, both able to recognize his own and the arc reactor’s.

Tony wondered if this was what all those ‘Zen masters’ felt like.

It was surprisingly easy to mix the two energies.

He felt… healthy, reenergized, and even powerful—no longer helpless. Helpless like he was in Afghanistan, without his armor, while _falling_.

He had the energy and now he just needed the force of will to manipulate it.

Tony started out slow, shifting the energy inside him. He had Jarvis keep track of his physiology, making sure he wasn’t damaging anything. His energy seemed not to be destructive. That was somehow comforting. He had destroyed too much in his time.

He concentrated it in his most trusted body parts, his hands. It was almost intoxicating.

Tony stared at his hands for a moment before letting the energy decompress and ease into a balance throughout his body.

Now that he had it Tony needed to figure out where to concentrate his energy, what to use it for…

* * *

That feeling of loneliness was still there.

His bots were gone, Pepper was gone, and being around the Avengers didn’t alleviate the feeling.

He’d been working in his old lab for the past few days. He’d completed a suit for old times’ sake, but had quickly grown bored of that. He’d gone as far as he’d wanted to in the realm of technology.

Tony blew up a few things in thought. The scent of destruction used to mean money, then pain, but now… his energy seemed to react positively to the smell of smoke.

He basked in it for a while, eyes closed as he practiced the sounds of power, twisting them into words of nonsense. He waved his hand back and forth like a conductor.

Tony felt a string of energy slip out of his pointer finger. He didn’t let up on his chanting or hand movement, curious on what was going to happen next. It danced towards the destruction.

_No more robots,_ he thought to himself, not wanting a reminder of what he’d lost.

The energy seemed to react, its dance changing slightly.

It performed a pirouette and dipped towards the ground. Tony could feel something interacting with his energy. Or was his energy the one doing the interacting. Probably the latter.

He could almost feel what his magic was touching. It was so familiar, but he couldn’t quite identify it. The energy coalesced and Tony’s eyes popped open when he felt the ball of energy disconnect from him.

His took in the scene of destruction. A slight movement caught his eye. A black splotch skittered behind an upturned piece of metal.

Tony smiled as he stood up.

He wasn’t certain what he’d just done, but he knew it was amazing.

He carefully walked over, trying not to scare the little thing away. It peeked around the sheered metal. The first thing Tony noticed was its large white eyes that contrasted so much with its pitch black body. Its little pupils were flickering about, taking him in.

Tony crouched down, holding his hand out for it. He could sense his own energy in the little ball of soot.

“You know me,” Tony whispered with a smile. The soot ball crept out a bit from its hiding spot, revealing tiny legs and arms. “You’re just a chip off the old block, aren’t you?” Tony almost crooned at it. “That’s it,” he said when it creeped forward, reaching his hand. “Almost there.” Tony lowered his hand until it was resting on the ground, palm up.

The soot ball stepped on his hand and the pair shivered. It was a sensation of warmth and familiarity. The puff ball’s eyes somehow became wider before it dashed up his arm and to his shoulder. He felt a tickle of warmth on his cheek and realized the soot ball had given him a kiss.

Tony suddenly didn’t feel so alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be adding more to this series, turning it into Frostiron eventually.
> 
> Inspired by [this](http://pwnyta.tumblr.com/post/127881394849/that-is-so-cute-tony-confirmed-for-soot-gremlin) post. 
> 
> Additional art by [JayBarou](http://archiveofourown.org/users/JayBarou) [here](http://jaybarou.tumblr.com/post/128350688985/silverdrip-wrote-soot-and-it-is-such-a-cute).


End file.
